Of all subjects in the medical arena, it is probably the so-called ‘genetics revolution’ that has captured the majority of media and public interest in recent years. Whether it be associated with the cloning of Dolly the sheep or the production of genetically modified plants, the world's imagination has been excited by the possibilities of genetics – for good or for bad. Recent claims to have cloned the first human babies have done little to still the voices of dissent over the potential use of genetic technology. Geneticists themselves are also all too well aware of the intense searchlight under which they are working, not least because the history of the use of genetic information is not pretty.

The eugenics movement was at its height in countries such as the United States in the early part of the last century. The science of eugenics seeks to apply genetic knowledge in such a way as to ensure the best possible gene pool. On the one hand, as we have seen in Chapter 9, this could be viewed as a positive strategy, sparing many people the discomfort and distress caused by inherited disadvantageous conditions and facilitating informed reproductive choice. On the other, it could be used as a vehicle for discrimination and abuse of those deemed to be genetically unfit or inferior.